Collapsible and expansible spindle



Dec; 24, 1946. H. c. WOLFENDEN COLLAPSIBLE AND EXPANSIBLE SPINDLE Filed Dec. 7, 1943 Patented Dec. 24, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE EXPANSIBLE SPINDLE Harry G. Wolfenden, Attleboro, Mass. Application December 7, 1943, Serial No. 513,240

' 1 Claim.

My present invention is a novel and improved collapsible and expansible spindle for use in holding yarn, slivers, roving, rayon, silk, cotton, woolen, and for packages, cakes, cheeses, or yard goods, particularly for handling and treating natural, synthetic, or artificial filaments, particularly for use in dyeing apparatus and processes.

Heretofore, great difiiculty has been experienced in winding yarn or the like filaments on a spool or spindle, as during the winding the pressure normally exerted constantly increases until the spool, cheese/or filament being wound becomes increasingly compacted and matted, especially the underneath layers and, therefore, it has heretofore been extremely difilcult to force dyeing liquid therethru, Thus, the spool, cheese, or cake is not dyed evenly or uniformly throughout the thickness of the material wound on the spool or spindle.

My present invention is directed to provide a collapsible and expansible spool or spindle structure which will have a considerable range of radial yield and, preferably, I expand the spindle during the winding and, thereupon, release the expanding means, permitting the spindle constituting the core of the now completely wound material to contract; thereby relieving the pressure tending to compact and mat the Wound material and, thus, facilitate the penetration of the dyeing liquid and thereby cause the entire material to be dyed uniformly.

My present invention of a collapsible and expansible spindle, furthermore, takes care automatically of the increasing tightening tension of the material to be dyed as it becomes wet, the dyeing liquid normally shrinking the yarn, filaments, or other material and, thus, still ftuther tending to compact and mat down the under layers. Thi is a further advantageous feature.

I also contemplate the use of such expansible and collapsible perforated cylinders of sufficient size, area, and capacity to receive, hold, and dye or otherwise treat textile articles in the form of yard goods, knitted, netted, or woven, which have heretofore been impossible to dye on a spool or spindle.

Preferably, I utilize the dyeing apparatus and process explained in my prior and copending application Serial No. 502,911, filed September 18, 1943, thus taking advantage of the multiple spray dyeing method process of my prior invention described in said application.

In carrying out my invention, I prefer to utilize a cylindrical spindle-like construction of metal, plastic, or other suitable yielding material, which will be non-injurious to the articles wound thereon and to the dye utilized in connection therewith. Such spindles are of suitable length when spools, cheeses, packages, or other articles are to be treated. Such spindles are made with suitable yielding or spring-like capacity and with means to permit the expansion of the spindle to a substantial extent and to hold the same thus expanded during the operation of winding there-- On the material to be dyed or treated.

Thereupon, the expanding instrumentalities are released and the inherent yielding capacity of the material automatically contracts the cylinder an appreciable amount, thereby relaxing the tension on the lower layers and thus tending to make the entire package, cheese, spool, or wound article more permeable to the penetration of the liquid dye, and eliminating all dye layers, spots, as well as eliminating the natural tendency of matting and compacting of the lower layers.

Furthermore, When the yielding spindle and its wound articles are subjected to the dyeing liquid, the cylinder may contract still further to automatically compensate for the increasing tendency to tighten or shrink about the cylinder, caused by the usual swelling tendency when immersed in liquid, thus still further maintaining the even winding and relatively open and nonmatting condition of the yarn or other articles on the spindle. 1

In order to insure the free-flowing of liquid thru the perforations or openings in the cylinder, particularly during the collapsing and expansion and, thus, during the overlapping of'the two meeting edges of the cylinder, I provide the openin s or holes so that they will substantially register at the overlapping portion during the contracting position of the cylinder after the expansible instrumentalities have been released. I may also provide elongated slots at these overlapping portions So as to insure a free flow of dyeing liquid therethru at all times irrespective of the extent of the collapsing or expanding at these overlapping edge portions.

Referring to the drawing illustrating preferred embodiments Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my-improved spindle construction in collapsed or normal contracte'd position;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding spindle in expanded relation;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating means to hold the cylinder in expanded position during the winding or wrapping of the material thereon;

illustration of the Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. is a cross-sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of slots or openings in the cylinder at the overlapping portion;

Fig. '7 is a view on the line of Fig. 6, and

Fig. Sis a cross-sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawing, I designates 9. cylinder preferably of rustless metal, elastic plastic, or the like, having a large number of perforations therethru, indicated at 2-2, the cylinder being longitudinally separated and having the edge portions overlapping, as best shown in Figs. 5 and 8, one edge 3 shown as the outer overlapping surface, and the inner edge 4 on the inner side. This provides a construction which will permit these overlapping edge portions to slide freely upon and in contact with each other during the expanding and contracting of the entire cylinder I. In order to provide a limit of the expanding and collapsing action, as well also to maintain the overlapping edge portions of the cylinders in sliding contact, any suitable means may be provided. Preferably, and as herein shown, I arrange circumferential slots 5 at the top and bottom portions of the cylinder adjacent the inner overlapping edge 4, and attach a retaining rivet, screw, or bolt 6 with the shank portion of suitable diameter to traverse the slot 5, said bolt having an enlarged head spanning the slot 5, and with the opposite end secured at the adjacent marginal and overlapping portion near the edge 3, as best shown in Fig. 8. Or I may simply form a clip l0 secured to the inner side of one of the overlapping edges and extending across the slot to the opposite surface of the adjacent overlapping portion, as shown in Fig. 5. These, or any other guiding and retaining methods may be utilized, as will be readily appreciated.

As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, I may form a series of circumferential slots l2-l2 near the outer edge portion 3 and registering with corresponding slots l3 adjacent the inner overlapping edge portion 4, so that during the sliding of these overlapping edge portions a free flow of liquid thru the slots, which register at all times throughout the extent of the sliding action of these overlapping edge portions. will be provided. The slots may be also formed around the walls of the cylinder, if desired, but preferably the holes 2 are relied upon to permit the flow of liquid dye therethru.

As shown in Fig. 3 I have indicated on a'reduced scale my cylinder with a package, cheese, or wound material thereon, this winding operation being performed after the cylinder has been expanded to its greater radial dimensions, as shown in Fig. 2. For this purpose, a pair of coneshaped members having a base or plate and projecting conical forms 2| are fitted into the opposite open ends of the cylinder I, forcing the cylinder into expanded position as the open ends of the cylinder slide along the bevelled faces of the conical portions 2| at opposite ends, until the cylinder is in expand ed position with the top and bottom rim in contact with the plate 20. Any other desired or suitable means can be utilized to hold the cylinder expanded to any desired extent during the wrapping or winding operation, the inherent contractile resiliency of the cylinder holding the same in this position until the winding is completed.

;'I"hereupon, the withdrawal of the plate 20 and cones 2| from each end will permit the cylinder to contract, the overlapping edges moving readily under th lower layers of the wound or wrapped material during this release of ten,- sion, and the lowermost layers automatically being relieved proportionately as the contraction of the cylinder progresses.

An important advantage of the construction above explained, and the guiding bolts 6 or clips [0, is that no serious projections are formed on the outer surface of the cylinder to catch, tear, or otherwise injure the lower layers of the material wound thereon during the contracting action.

Thus, with the apparatus as herein shown and explained, I eliminate the prior difficulties of matting, compacting, or tightness of the underneath layers of the material, which heretofore have been so compacted therebetween in cheeses and packages as to prevent a free-flowing of the liquid dye therethru, thus leaving these under layers only partially treated or dyed and, hence, resulting in a lack of uniformity of the material dyed.

Also, by having this spindle contracted and arranged to afford the automatic contraction, it may yield still further when the material is subjected to a tightening on the spindle by the swelling or shrinking of the material thereon. This has been an objectionable diificulty on spools or yarns, cheeses, packages, and the like, whether the material being dyed is of cotton, rayon, silk, or synthetic fibrous material.

While I prefer at present to utilize stainless steel for the collapsible and expansible spindle or cylindrical shell, because of the known capacity of resiliency, yield, and spring of the same, it will be appreciated that any other metal, alloy, or synthetic plastic such as Koroseal, Vinylite, Bakelite, or the like may be employed if desired.

Also, while I prefer to embody the collapsible and expansible spindle in the form of a cylindrical shell or tubular member, as this is most suitable and customary for use in winding yarns and fibres of various kinds thereon, I may utilize other forms suitable for different kinds of goods to be supplied to and carried thereby.

Iclaim:

An expansible and contractible spindle of the kind described, having a cylindrical body portion and overlapping contacting edge portions, said overlapping portions being adapted to slide in contact with each other during expansion and contraction, a plurality of perforations thru the body portion, and slots thru the overlapping portions substantially in register with each other during the expansible and contractible operations.

HARRY C. WOLFENDEN. 

